Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata Year Class Strength and Spatial Extent from Two Long-Term Surveys off the Southeast US Atlantic Coast

The Southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast (North Carolina to Florida, U.S.A.) has undergone considerable environmental change in recent decades, including increasing coastal water temperature and human development. The region is also home to a diverse suite of exploited reef fish species, including the southern stock of black sea bass (Centropristis striata). The objective of the current study was to compare trends in black sea bass year class strength and central location captured by trawls (age 0) and traps (age 2) as well as compare those trends to regional bottom temperature. We found no correlation between age 0 and age 2 abundance when comparing the same year class, suggesting that the numbers of trawl-caught juveniles cannot predict the number of adults available to the fishery. Larger year classes observed in traps were correlated with centers of abundance farther south in the region, while smaller year classes corresponded with more northerly centers of abundance. In both trawls and traps, strong year classes occurred following years with below-average regional water temperatures, and a series of recent, weak year classes correspond with recent higher-than-average water temperatures. It is unclear whether correlations between shifting centers of abundance, year class strength, and regional bottom temperature indicate a range contraction for the southern stock of black sea bass or movement into areas previously inhabited by the northern stock of the species.